On-chip power-combining for high-power schottky diode based frequency multipliers

• US 9,143,084 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Chattopadhyay, Goutam, Lee, Choonsup, Schlecht, Erich T., Mehdi, Imran, Siles Perez, Jose Vicente, Jung-Kubiak, Cecile D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Takaoka, Dean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Alan
• Application Number:
  US13/595,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 333/218, 333/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/77 Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in, or on, a common substrate electrically programmable read-only memories or multistep manufacturing processes therefor H10B69/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6627 Waveguides, e.g. microstrip line, strip line, coplanar line
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6683 for monolithic microwave integrated circuit [MMIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0814 Diodes only
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12032 Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 19/16 using uncontrolled rectifying devices, e.g. rectifying diodes or Schottky diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 19/18 and elements comprising distributed inductance and capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0032 including a device with a Schottky junction
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0076 Power combination of several oscillators oscillating at the same frequency

Abstract

A novel MMIC on-chip power-combined frequency multiplier device and a method of fabricating the same, comprising two or more multiplying structures integrated on a single chip, wherein each of the integrated multiplying structures are electrically identical and each of the multiplying structures include one input antenna (E-probe) for receiving an input signal in the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave or terahertz frequency range inputted on the chip, a stripline based input matching network electrically connecting the input antennas to two or more Schottky diodes in a balanced configuration, two or more Schottky diodes that are used as nonlinear semiconductor devices to generate harmonics out of the input signal and produce the multiplied output signal, stripline based output matching networks for transmitting the output signal from the Schottky diodes to an output antenna, and an output antenna (E-probe) for transmitting the output signal off the chip into the output waveguide transmission line.

Claims

1. A Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) on-chip power-combined frequency multiplier device, comprising:

an integrated circuit comprising two or more multiplying structures integrated on a single chip, wherein;

each of the integrated multiplying structures are electrically identical and each of the multiplying structures include;

one input antenna or input E-probe for receiving an input signal in the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz frequency range inputted on the chip,

one or more stripline based input matching networks electrically connecting the input antenna or the input E-probe to two or more Schottky diodes in a balanced configuration,

the two or more Schottky diodes used as nonlinear semiconductor devices to generate harmonics out of the input signal and produce a multiplied output signal,

one or more stripline based output matching networks for transmitting the multiplied output signal from the Schottky diodes to an output antenna or an output E-probe, and

the output antenna or the output E-probe for transmitting the multiplied output signal off the single chip into an output waveguide comprising a transmission line;

two or more of the input antennas or input E-probes divide the input signal equally among the multiplying structures within the chip;

two or more of the output antennas or output E-probes combine the output signals at the output waveguide; and

an improvement in power-handling capabilities and output power of a factor equal to a number of the multiplying structures included in the chip is achieved.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit comprises:

the input antennas and output antennas including millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz stripline antennas,

the stripline based input and output matching networks including transmission lines,

the Schottky diodes that are semiconductor devices, and

the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz stripline antennas, the transmission lines, and the semiconductor devices lithographically patterned on a semi-insulating semiconductor substrate and deposited on a plated silicon-wafer based housing or a metal-plated block.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

an input waveguide including a matching network including one or more waveguide matching sections of different length and height to optimally couple the input signal, comprising an exciting electric field in the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz range, into the input antennas or E-probes within the chip while guaranteeing a broadband frequency operation; and

the output waveguide including a matching network comprising one or more waveguide matching sections of different length and height to optimally couple the multiplied output signal, comprising an electric field in the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave or terahertz range, out of the chip while guaranteeing a broadband frequency operation.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein:

the input and output waveguide matching sections can be formed either on;

one or more aligned Silicon wafers using deep reactive ion etching techniques (DRIE) and subsequent gold plating, or

for lower frequencies of operation, on aligned thin metal plates using traditional CNC milling techniques; and

the different wafers or plates are arranged vertically, along an axis perpendicular to the chip plane, to allow for a 3D integration capability.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the input and output waveguides are placed perpendicular to the chip so that the input and output E-probes are in-phase with the fundamental mode of propagation in the input and output waveguides.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein:

the chip comprises a dual on-chip power-combined frequency multiplier topology where the two multiplying structures are mirrored along a same axis, and

an E-plane of the input and output waveguides is the same as the chip plane.

7. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

direct current (DC) bias lines using beamleads disposed to bias each of the Schottky diodes, wherein;

the integrated circuit and DC bias lines are connected to external bias lines that are formed directly on the silicon wafer based housing that includes a waveguide channel where the chip is located, or otherwise using wire-bonded capacitors placed on the waveguide channel.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein:

a total thickness of the device including metal DC bias lines and the substrate for the chip is in a range of 3 micrometers-50 micrometers, and

a total dimension of the device is less than 3 millimeters by 2 millimeters.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein:

an operation frequency of the device is at a millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz range depending on a size and structure of the Schottky diodes employed, specific dimensions of the input and output matching networks on-chip, and dimensions of the input and output waveguides, and

operation bandwidth is around 17%, higher than 17%, or lower than 17%.

10. The device of claim 2, comprising:

two independent waveguide outputs so that the device can feed two higher frequency multiplier stages or two frequency mixers or detectors without a need of additional waveguide based power dividers, wherein the two waveguide outputs can be combined using a simple waveguide Y-junction if one single output is desired.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein:

the integrated circuit includes at least one pair of the balanced Schottky diodes per multiplying structure, including at least two pairs for a dual on-chip multiplier configuration or at least four pairs for a quad on-chip multiplier configuration; and

the Schottky diodes are nonlinear semiconductor devices that generate one or more harmonics of the input signal so that the input signal is multiplied up in frequency.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein the integrated circuit has a pattern that is symmetric about at least two axes passing through a central point of the integrated circuit.

13. A method for fabricating an integrated circuit or chip including a Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) on-chip power-combined frequency multiplier device, comprising:

fabricating an integrated circuit comprising two or more multiplying structures integrated on a single chip, wherein each of the integrated multiplying structures are electrically identical and fabricating each of the multiplying structures includes;

defining two or more Schottky diodes, wherein;

the defining of each of the Schottky diodes includes defining a Schottky diode ohmic contact and mesa on a substrate, and

the Schotty diodes are used as nonlinear semiconductor devices to generate harmonics out of an input signal and produce a multiplied output signal;

forming interconnect metal comprising one or more stripline based input matching networks and one or more stripline based output matching networks, and input and output antennas or E-probes, the one or more stripline based input matching networks electrically connecting an input antenna or an input E-probe to the two or more Schottky diodes in a balanced configuration, the one or more stripline based output matching networks for transmitting the multiplied output signal from the Schottky diodes to an output antenna or an output E-probe, the input antenna or input E-probe for receiving the input signal in the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz frequency range inputted on the chip, and the output antenna or the output E-probe for transmitting the multiplied output signal off the single chip into one or more output waveguides each comprising a transmission line;

defining and depositing Schottky anodes using electron beam lithography;

defining bridge metal that connects the Schottky diodes to the interconnect metal;

passivating the integrated circuit;

etching the substrate to form a membrane layer;

depositing ground and DC bias airbridges for the Schottky diodes;

attaching the chip comprising the interconnect metal and the Schottky diodes onto a carrier wafer;

removing the substrate with a selective etch;

releasing the chip from the carrier wafer; and

assembling the chip into a plated silicon-wafer based housing or thin metal plates-based housing;

wherein;

two or more of the input antennas or input E-probes divided the input signal equally among the multiplying structure with the chip;

two or more of the output antennas or output E-probes combine the output signals at the one or more output waveguides,

power-combining of the output signals is performed directly on chip; and

an improvement in power-handling capabilities and output power of a factor equal to a number of the multiplying structures included in the chip is achieved.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

forming DC bias lines on the silicon wafer based housing or metal plates-based housing to bias the Schottky diodes;

aligning and assembling the chip within a waveguide housing comprising one or more silicon wafers or thin metal plates, wherein;

the waveguide housing includes an input waveguide that inputs an electric field on the input antennas within the chip,

the waveguide housing includes the one or more output waveguides that receive an output electric field transmitted from all the output antennas or E-probes, and

the integrated circuit is positioned in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis or E-plane of the input and output waveguides.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a previous design phase comprising, for a desired input power, efficiency and operation frequency and bandwidth within the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz range:

selecting a number of the Schottky diodes, a size of each of the Schottky diodes, and a layer structure of each of the Schottky diodes;

designing stripline matching elements comprising the stripline based input matching networks and the stripline based output matching networks within the chip;

designing the input and output E-probes; and

designing input and output waveguide matching networks for the input and output waveguides.

16. A method of fabricating a Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) on-chip power-combined frequency multiplier device, comprising:

fabricating an integrated circuit comprising two or more multiplying structures integrated on a single chip, wherein each of the integrated multiplying structures are electrically identical and fabricating each of the multiplying structures includes;

fabricating one input antenna or input E-probe for receiving an input signal in the millimeter-wave, submillimeter-wave, or terahertz frequency range inputted on the chip,

fabricating one or more stripline based input matching networks electrically connecting the input antenna or the input E-probe to two or more Schottky diodes in a balanced configuration,

fabricating the two or more Schottky diodes that are used as nonlinear semiconductor devices to generate harmonics out of the input signal and produce a multiplied output signal,

fabricating one or more stripline based output matching networks for transmitting the multiplied output signal from the Schottky diodes to an output antenna or an output E-probe, and

fabricating the output antenna or the output E-probe for transmitting the multiplied output signal off the single chip an output waveguide transmission line comprising output waveguide matching networks; and

micro-machining a plurality of silicon wafers or thin metal plates including input and output waveguide matching networks as well as a waveguide channel where the frequency multiplier chip or integrated circuit is placed, wherein the silicon wafers or thin metal plates are aligned, stacked, and fastened together using alignment pins, screw holes or any other alignment technique;

wherein;

two or more of the input antennas or input E-probes divided the input signal equally among the multiplying structure within the chip;

two or more of the output antennas or output E-probes combine the output signals at the output waveguides transmission line,

power-combining of the output signals is performed directly on chip; and

an improvement in power-handling capabilities and output power of a factor equal to a number of the multiplying structures included in the chip is achieved.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

machining one or more fastening holes in each of the silicon wafers or metal plates,

machining mount holes in one or more of the silicon wafers or metal plates for external connectors; and

obtaining one or more micro-machined silicon fasteners, if silicon wafers are used, wherein the silicon wafers are fastened together with the integrated circuit between an input waveguide and the output waveguide transmission line, by insertion of the micro machined silicon fasteners into the fastening holes in each of the wafers.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting an adequate number of the silicon wafers or metal plates, and an adequate thickness, length and width of the silicon wafers or metal plates so that all waveguide structures, alignment elements, fastening elements, connectors can fit in a minimum possible volume for compactness.